


A Touch of Vignette

by xRaevyn



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Riverdale (TV 2017) RPF
Genre: F/F, cheroni, choni
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-11 03:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15306921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xRaevyn/pseuds/xRaevyn
Summary: Cheryl discovers that Toni's passion for photography also comes with a history. Can she help her girlfriend win a world renowned contest or will something else stand in the way?





	1. Aperture

_ap·er·ture (noun) - An opening or gap. In photography, Aperture refers to a measuring the amount of opening of a camera's lens._

“Do you think she’ll like it, Sweet Pea?” Cheryl asked, words accompanied by the jittering slam of distant locker doors. It was a Monday morning at Riverdale High, most students were as deadened to joy as ever as they shuffled along their usual routes. But not Cheryl. She was a wasp, bright and buzzing, leaving most wary at the sight of her. She’d cornered Sweet Pea this morning, but he didn’t plan to get stung. He didn’t even plan to listen. “I mean- if we’re going to be an item—”

“Cheryl.” Sweet Pea closed his locker and lifted his bag onto his shoulder like it were less full of classroom materials and more full of rocks. “I’m gonna be real with you. I don’t care about your dumb playlist. Why don’t you ask Fangs?” 

“But—”

Before Cheryl could make a rebuttal, Sweet Pea was swallowed by a swarm of Riverdale’s students, now only a speck of sand in an endless desert wind, leaving her high and dry. The hallway was emptied just as quickly as it had filled. She was alone.

“Typical. What a buzzkill.” The redhead turned to make her own leave, only to come face to face with the person she’d really been waiting on. “Toni! What a surprise. I’d thought you’d already gone to class.” If Cheryl’s lashes had been wings she might have festered up a gale with the amount of blinks spawned from being so taken aback.

“And miss seeing your pretty face?” Toni smiled, but not that turned lip, fishhook sneer she’d might give to any of the other Serpents. Not stifled but slim, not mild but muted, not distant but delicate, meant only for Cheryl. “Never.”

Cheryl felt her face brushed with pink. Only her. Ever since they’d started dating, Cheryl felt… softer. It was like Toni had cracked her open and spilled all this wonderful color into the world, like she’d flooded everything with light. Cheryl moved quickly, placing a hand to Toni’s cheek, kissing her gently. “If I’d had known you’d be this sweet I would’ve scheduled a dentist’s appointment,” she murmured, the proximity between them stirring up enough warmth to melt away the whole world. “Though I’m actually here to talk to you about something, T.”

“Oh?” Toni’s brow lifted. “Well I’ve got a few minutes before English. Hit me.” 

“I’ve been thinking…” Cheryl shifted weight from one foot to the other. Where did all her confidence go this morning? How could this small, gorgeous girl strip her of all that venom? Of all that punch? Toni’s attention was all on her. She’d even so much as stopped rummaging through her locker to give Cheryl the attention she deserved. All Cheryl needed was to push the words past her teeth instead of gargling them down.

“As Riverdale’s most iconic couple, we should have a song.” 

“A song?” Toni blinked. She took the tremble out of Cheryl’s hands with her own, giving them a gentle squeeze. “You waited here for how long to tell me this?”

“I’m serious!” Cheryl huffed, tugging her hands away. The pulsing poison that was in her Blossom blood stained her cheeks cherry. “My dear sweet cousin and her boy toy have a song, why can’t we?”

Toni couldn’t help but laugh, not at Cheryl, but rather at the way in which her envy was peeling away the stone composure she’d carved for herself. “Sorry, Cher, but you’re jealous of Betty and Jughead because they have a song?”

“I’m not jealous!” Cheryl’s voice filled the hallway so much Principal Weatherbee had poked his head out of his office. Cheryl’s tone lowered in volume but did not intent. “I’m simply suggesting that we celebrate. We’re almost at six months now. Can’t we be proud of that? Of us?”

“Of course we can.” Toni pulled Cheryl into a hug. “Whatever you want. It’s yours.”

Cheryl gently tugged Toni closer, now less wasp and more butterfly. “I’ve got what I want right here. What about you?”

“I—” Before Toni could answer, Principal Weatherbee called out to the two of them.

“Miss Blossom and Miss Topaz, please vacate the hallway. Classes are starting shortly.”

“Gotta go, Babe.” Toni planted a quick kiss on Cheryl’s lips before shoveling her books into her bag and slamming her locker shut. “See you at lunch.”

Toni had been in such a rush, she hadn’t noticed the folded flyer fly from her locker and land at her girlfriend’s feet.

Cheryl bent down to pick it up, unfolding the sheet to read its contents:

Exposure Photo Contest, sponsored by the Photographers of America Foundation  
Over $10,000 in prizes - all ages and skill levels welcomed  
All submissions must be submitted digitally via the website:  
w w w . p a f . o r g / e x p o s u r e / s u b m i t  
Please read guidelines before entering. Any entry that does not follow the guidelines will not be accepted.  
Deadline: May 4th, 11 PM EST.

“Miss Blossom,” Principal Weatherbee’s voice was much denser this time. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Yes, Principal Weatherbee,” Cheryl said, giving him her iconic fake smile before turning to walk away, thoughts churning over what new topics would arrive with lunch.

—

“Do you think they’re going to sit with us again?” Betty asked, turning to Jughead as he attempted to stuff as much of his cafeteria burrito into his mouth. 

“Mmf.” That wasn’t much of an answer but Betty didn’t expect he’d have one to begin with.

Not long after Archie and Veronica joined the two for lunch did Toni stroll over, tray in hand. “Hey guys. How was your weekends?”

Jughead’s muffled grunt of a reply sounded a lot like a “Good,” but no one was really sure with how much rice and beans he was plowing through.

“It was great, Toni,” Betty assured, trying to translate as best as she could. “Veronica and I went shopping for some new clothes.”

“We also got to hear Archiekin’s newest song,” Veronica said, nudging her boyfriend with a proud smile.

“New song?” Toni smirked, “Anything noteworthy?”

“It’s nothing great, just a work in progress,” Archie replied, taking a swig of his juice. 

“Don’t say that, Arch, it’s wonderful,” Betty said, sending him a reassuring gaze before turning to the girl beside her. “What about you, Toni? Anything new with you and Cheryl?”

“Well, now that you mention it—” 

Before Toni could even mention this morning’s conversations, Cheryl sat her tray down in the space across from Toni. “Hello inner circle, Sweet Cousin Betty, Jughead. Might I borrow my precious Girlfriend from you for a minute? Please?” She might have said please but she certainly wasn’t asking.

Toni stood, walking with Cheryl to a more quiet part of the courtyard.

“Is this about our conversation this morning?” Toni asked. “Because I was going to give you an answer.”

“It is about this morning, but not our conversation.” Cheryl handed Toni the folded flyer. “It’s about this. It fell out of your locker. Seems like you didn’t have to answer me. I already know what you want.”

Toni didn’t need to unfold it. “Cheryl, listen—”

“Don’t worry, T.T., I get it. You didn’t tell me you wanted to enter this contest because you were afraid there wouldn’t be time for us.”

“What?” Toni’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s not it at all.”

“Isn’t it? Since we’ve been dating you’ve pulled out of a lot of your usual hobbies. I didn’t even remember you had a camera at all until I was passing by the offices for the Blue and Gold and saw your name under one of the photos on the cover of an issue from three months ago. Three! When were you gonna tell me that you stopped?”

“Cheryl…” Toni reached for Cheryl’s hand but she pulled away before she could. “It has nothing to do with you, I promise.”

The dam Cheryl's mind had built was about to break open the flood gates.

“It’s been running through my mind all morning, T.T.. How can I be a good girlfriend to you if I’m not even aware of your passions?” 

And there they were, the tears. Those damn tears. The last time Toni had ever seen Cheryl cry was because of her Mother. Now this? This seemed so trivial in comparison. Toni pulled her close, speaking softly in her ear.

“It’s okay,” she cooed, “it’s okay. Honestly, I wish you hadn’t even found the flyer.”

“What?” Cheryl blinked away tears more confused now than anything. “Why?”

“I wasn’t going to enter the contest, not this year. So how about we forget about it and focus on something else? Like picking a song. Sweets told me you had a playlist?”

“Wait just a minute.” Cheryl took a step back to meet Toni’s eyes with her own, brows folding together along with her arms. “You’re not entering?”

A pause too long for comfort. The playlist would have to wait.

“No, Cheryl.” Toni sighed. “I’m not.”

“But why?” Cheryl tilted her head. “You’re a great photographer. What’s the harm in a little competition?”

“Can we please drop this?” Toni said, crossing her arms now. “My mind is made up and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine,” Cheryl said, turning on her heel and walking toward the table. “If you won’t tell me, I will simply find another place to sit.”

“Cheryl, wait!” Toni called after her, but Cheryl was quicker than she had anticipated.

“Nope,” Cheryl called back, not bothering to look over her shoulder. “I’ll see you again when you want to tell me what’s really going on, Toni. I want you to come to me on your own terms.” She paused when she reached the table, picking up her tray.

“Think it over. Get back to me.” 

And with one dramatic twirl, Cheryl was gone and Toni was left standing a few feet from the table, mouth open and empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope to update this fic every week but if I don't, I promise it's not dead forever. I've already plotted out all ten chapters and I hope you're just as excited as I am for the rest of it :)


	2. Depth of Field

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl searches for answers about Toni’s history with the contest and what’s really bothering her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your support on the first chapter! To celebrate, here’s chapter two.

Depth of Field (noun) - the lens focus on the distance between objects in the foreground and background

Cheryl sat in the office of the Blue and Gold, swinging her legs to and fro while her thumb flipped through dozens of photos on Instagram. The change to Toni’s content had been slow, gradual, a gradient of selfies atop backdrops bleeding into skies. If anyone was sensational, it was her. Not the dozens upon dozens of photos of Cheryl with hashtags plastered for miles. Even the photos Toni had taken for the Blue and Gold or the Red and Black, there was an overwhelming aura of professionalism. Like Toni didn’t just know angles and light, she was made of it.

As Jughead walked in, Cheryl was focused on a particular photo of the two of them, taken from Snapchat, with the digital flower crowns stamped to their foreheads. Toni deserved better than to be reduced to this. Cheryl was sure of it.

“Can I help you?” Jughead asked, although he didn’t particularly care to deliver. He knew it was only a matter of time before Cheryl would turn to ask him. He’d been forewarned at the Wyrm yesterday by Sweet Pea. This Blossom was on the warpath for information.

“Oh, come on Jughead. Don’t act like you weren’t expecting me.” Cheryl crossed her legs and set her phone in her lap, back arched and proud. “I just have a couple questions. I won’t be long, and then you can get back to your sad excuse of a newspaper.”

Jughead’s jaw clenched with Cheryl’s attempt to chew him to bits. This was more of an annoyance than he’d imagined. “What do you want to know?”

—

This was the third night Toni had been awoken by “the dream” that week. The cycle had started the night after Cheryl discovered the flyer and it was always the same, down to the colors dripping from the sky.

She was watching Cheryl stand atop a cliff, hair ablaze with the golden gales of sunset and the endless stretch of sweet-water river beneath her, like she had birthed the river with her toes. Or the river had become the path to Oz and Cheryl, with her ruby themed everything, would skip down stream until she was reborn as the sun or something brighter, more molten, less forgiving.

Toni had taken several shots of this moment. The golden hour holding the girl of flames and fury. The red of Cheryl’s hair against the setting sun was a camera crossfade away to a dark room development. Toni’s fingers furled tight and frantic around the chemicals, mixing under the dim red light in the dark, the world twirling with tongs until the image had soaked long enough to be clear.

She was pin pricks away from victory, handed photos to scanners and shook hands with her bootleg photoshop. But it didn’t matter how beautiful the image was, the second it was on that wall it was not of Cheryl. It was not of anyone but herself, feet flung freely from the face of the cliff. Never her name on the entry. Never a face attached to the cotton candy thunderstorm of her hair, her bare back, the way she’d over-exposed herself. Too revealing, too care-free. The dream dipped into memory. Hands, hushed and hurried, holding her with half-promises. The shame, pressed into her with open, filthy palms. She was used and used to it. This wasn’t a fight at all, not when she had run from falling, a photo still but not, her mind caught in the motions of the jump, snap, swish, splash—

Toni woke up—sweat soaking her skin like sea brine. She needed to take a shower. She needed to knock herself out again. She needed to tell Cheryl the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really liking this fic so I might just shovel language together and lay it all down for you quicker than expected. The next chapter will be much longer than this I assure you. But if you like what you’re reading, let me know. 


	3. Noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl learns the truth and makes a promise.

_Noise (noun) - a sound that often causes a disturbance albeit volume or pitch. In photography, noise refers to the disruption of color and brightness by variation, often caused by scanners and low-resolution cameras._

Beeeeeeep. Beeeeeeep. Beeeeeeep.

The dial tone was the sound of Cheryl’s heartbeat flatlining every time Toni didn’t pick up. Thirty one missed calls into the week. How did a request for a song lead to this? The worst part was Toni’s voicemail, always leaving fissures in Cheryl’s heart.

“Hey how are you?”

Pause.

“Nah I’m just playing. You’ve reached Toni’s voicemail.”

Beeeeeep. The sound of Cheryl’s death over and over.

“Hey...” Cheryl paused, swallowing the whole world resting on her trachea. “I miss you. Can we please talk already?”

Another, longer pause.

“I lov-“

“To send your message, press—“

“Mother fffff—fine.” Cheryl yanked the phone from her ear.

“Message erased! To send a mes—“ Click.

Cheryl threw herself back on her make-up stained pillowcase. Toni couldn’t avoid her forever. Cheryl wouldn’t survive.

—

Click. Click. Chirp.

Chirp. Click. Chirp.

Toni sat on a bench outside of Riverdale High, camera focused on a nest of birds above her, her shutter sounds dancing along the chirps. She had been alone like this all afternoon, and had no problems with it. Normally, the Vixens would have practice by now, but since Cheryl cancelled, everyone was left to their own devices. Toni wasn’t a fool. She knew it was because of her. But she needed this time to focus. Needed each click of her camera to shuffle her thoughts into order.

Click. Click. Chirp.

Chirp. Click. Chirp.

CRACK. Chirp. Flap.

The thud of Jughead’s foot on a fallen branch started the birds away, leaving the two serpents alone, silence swallowing seconds in a slow slurp. All too intentional.

“I’m sorry, Toni. I know you’re probably mad—“

“I’m more mad about you scaring away my subjects. I was in the middle of the perfect shot.” Toni did not stop looking through her camera’s viewfinder,

“You should talk to Cheryl.”

“Jones—“

“Betty asked me to ask you.” Jughead threw his hands up at Toni’s cocked brow. “She says Cheryl’s more torn up on you avoiding her than what I told her.” Don’t shoot the messenger.

“You weren’t supposed to tell her in the first place.” Toni let the camera drop around her neck, arms crossed.

Jughead could only sneer. If anyone had any reason to be irritated, it was him for being roped into this quarrel.

“Just talk to her, Topaz. She needs you more than you need her. You know this.” Jughead turned away, not another word from his mouth.

—

“So let me get this straight,” Cheryl clapped her hands together to emphasize the click of her brain as everything fell into place. “T.T. Is avoiding me because her ex girlfriend won the photo contest she wants to enter?”

“It’s more than that.” Jughead sighed. “Victoria is a regular competitor. She enters every year and gets top ten consistently.”

“That sounds like favoritism,” Cheryl snapped. “I could sue them for that.”

“It’s not against the rules to compete again. And they pick new judges every year who have no idea what the previous year’s winners’ works look like. It’s fair.”

Cheryl let loose a sharp shriek. “It is not! So not.”

“Are you jealous?” Jughead asked. This time more invested in the conversation.

“No, I am not jealous.” Cheryl whipped around. “Even if they have matching names. This has nothing to do with anyone’s image but Toni’s.”

Jughead couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m sorry, Cheryl but... matching names?”

“Toni and Tori? Hellooo~? It’s so obvious it might as well be plastered in neon.” Cheryl flipped her hair over her shoulder. “But we can be more iconic, I guess.”

“Uh-huh.” Jughead didn’t buy it. “Green is not your color.”

“I’m not jealous, I am furious! We’re supposed to tell each other everything!” Cheryl pinched the bridge of her nose, voice softening in her exhale. “Why couldn’t she just tell me...”

—

Plonk.

Plonk.

Plonk.

The knocking of glass startled Cheryl awake. Pebbles plonking the window, shaking the pane. The green glare of the clock met Cheryl’s hazy gaze. It was midnight. Why was it midnight? When did she fall asleep? More important—why was there a knock on her window at midnight? To wake her?

Plonk.

Cheryl slid off the bed.

Plonk.

She moved to the window.

Plonk.

And shut the curtains.

Two minutes later, she was in the yard, smeared mascara and all.

“Toni, what the frilly hell are you doing? It’s literally the middle of the night!”

Toni dropped her ammunition and stuffed her hands in her pockets, rocking on her heels awkwardly. “I wanted to see you. We need to talk.”

“Then call me like a normal person, Babe!”

“I wasn’t sure you’d answer.”

“I’m gonna murder you,” Cheryl groaned, half-serious.

Toni cut the distance between them, pulling Cheryl into a hug. “I missed you too, Cheryl Bombshell.”

Cheryl squeezed the smaller girl half to death before she took her inside Thistle House. “Come on you Bubblegum Punk, I want tea if we’re gonna catch up.”

—

Ten minutes into the silence settling between them, Cheryl took a long, loud sip of her maple chamomile tea.

“There’s more to it than that. What Jughead said. It’s...” Toni cleared her throat, the sugar soaked in too long and made her vocal chords stick. “I—“

“I knew it.” Cheryl set her mug down. “You’re still in love with her.”

“What? No! She was a manipulative, egotistical piece of shit who used me all the time,” Toni sighed. “Jughead said you were going to be jealous.”

“Oh, I’m not,” Cheryl said, shrugging off Toni’s frustration. “Did you call her Tori?”

Toni blinked back her surprise. What was Cheryl even after? “No? She liked to be called Vic and V. If I tried calling her Tori or Vicky, she’d end my life... why does that matter?”

Cheryl let out a breath. “Thank God—look, that’s not important right now. I want to know what you’re not telling me.”

Despite her overwhelming curiosity and confusion, Toni tucked her thoughts away, taking a swig of her own mug. “The photo she won Exposure with?” She slid her phone into Cheryl’s hand. “This is it.”

The screen was aglow with orange light burning through the fringe of cotton candy locks, light and lifting. The subject’s skin soaking sanguine sunsets as the world opened beyond. A beautiful pool of water beneath her.

Cheryl couldn’t believe it. “Toni...”

“This photo was supposed to be a private one. This moment of innocence turned so sour so soon. She pushed me forward and pushed the button and I fell like a fool. I don’t want to go back there.”

Cheryl was at Toni’s side in an instant, hand to cheek, lips curled in a half-crescent. “Hey- it’s okay, T. You are not that girl anymore. You are far better than that. And you’re gonna prove it.”

“How?” Toni felt the tears fall before she could stop them running to Cheryl’s fingers the way she desperately wanted to. “How am I going to prove it?”

“Toni Topaz,” Cheryl spoke softly, wiping her girlfriend’s tears away with one hand while the other laced their fingers together. “Will you let me model for you?”

Toni couldn’t help but burst into laughter. For someone so dramatic and outwardly bitchy to others, Cheryl really was the sweetest. “You want to be my model? For the contest?”

“Forever, T.T.. Whenever you need me.” Cheryl planted a kiss on Toni’s forehead.

“Well,” Toni pulled Cheryl in for a quick kiss. “We’ll start first thing tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this updating every day will stop tomorrow. I’m just too excited! I love this show and this ship! As per usual, leave a comment if you liked it, if you like and thank you for your support!!!


	4. Chromatic Abberations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl learns something new

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'm not gonna update this fic all the time  
> Also me: *Writes two chapters in one day*
> 
> Sorry! Hope that's okay. As long as we're all having fun, right?

_Chro·mat·ic Ab·er·ra·tion (noun) - Also known as “color fringing” or “purple fringing”. When the wavelengths of colors are focused divergently on a focal plane, either because the lens is unable to capture all wavelengths equally or the focus of wavelengths are too dispersed. Often the product of a faulty lens._

 

The morning sun tugged forth the bronze of Cheryl’s hair, like it had been forged from the sheen of a thousand shimmering fountain pennies. Toni reached for her bag at the foot of the bed with her leg, toes grabbing the strap of her camera. Was it lazy to not wish to pull away from such a sight?

 

Cheryl had taken a shower before the two went to bed last night, washed all of the leftover makeup from her tear-caked face. A peaceful Cheryl Blossom, untainted by emotion, was a mythical sighting, like dragons overhead or the birth of a basilisk. Toni wanted to capture this moment, to hold it not in her mind but in her hands, cupped like the curve of a stream, just before a waterfall, still and still full of life.

 

Toni rolled to her side, careful not to disturb the natural toss of Cheryl’s curls, or the way the fabric of her sheets bunched beneath her. She removed the lens cap quietly, met the view-finder with an eager eye, and attempted the shot from multiple angles.

 

The sound of the shutter snapping sent Cheryl’s eyelids fluttering open in a flurry of blinks. The scrunch of morning sun to the face caught in Toni’s lens just before the light growl of a grumpy girl with beautiful bedhead.

 

“T.T., what are you doing?” Cheryl’s voice was a muffled, elongated sound of sand and gravel gargling in the back of the throat. She needed a glass of water.

 

“Figure Study,” Toni’s reply was an explanation that left Cheryl feeling more confused than when she’d first opened her eyes.

 

“A what now?”

 

“A figure study. In drawing, it can be referred to as a character study. It’s a compilation of shots with various forms of lighting, angles, and focus ranges.”

 

“In other words?” Cheryl attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes, but as her fists hit her lids, she could hear Toni start up again.

 

“I’m trying to find what naturally compliments your appearance and brings out the best of your features.” Toni threw the strap of her camera over her head before she let it dangle, releasing Cheryl from her unprompted photo shoot. “I’ll probably spend all day today on that. If you’re going to be my model, I’m going to know your ins and outs.”

 

“We’ve been dating for almost half a year,” Cheryl murmured, yawn attached to the word “year”.

 

“Yes but just because I have the privilege of sharing space with that gorgeous face of yours doesn’t mean that it reads the same in two dimensions. A camera is one lens. Eyes are two. That’s why we have depth perception when we’re looking out at a room, but not when we look at a photo.”

 

“Wow,” Cheryl said, stretching a moment before draping her arms around Toni’s neck, half-affectionately and half to prop herself up. “Cute and smart. What a keeper.”

 

“I try,” Toni chuckled, planting a kiss on Cheryl’s temple. “Now how about I help you get up and we make you some breakfast.

 

“Over-easy with toast?” Cheryl asked, soft tug at her lips.

 

“With the fresh strawberry jam,” Toni replied.

 

—

 

Over the course of the day, Toni had taken as many photos as she possibly could, an entire four gigabytes of twenty-two megapixel images, of Cheryl doing different activities: eating various foods, washing her hair in the sink, applying make up, picking outfits, wearing said outfits in multiple rooms, reading, sitting by the fireplace, sitting on the porch, sitting by a fountain, sitting under a tree, laying on the grass, laying in Toni’s lap (in various locations stated or otherwise), and lastly- giving Toni the most exhausted pouty face this world had ever seen in the dining room while Toni finished flipping through her collection.

 

“If I had known that being a model would be this much work, I would’ve forced Sweet Pea to do it or something,” Cheryl said, lip out, arms crossed, brows in. If they’d been standing in a classroom, Toni might’ve assumed her to be a tattling little girl. “Why can’t I strike a pose?”

 

Toni couldn’t stop her smile, much less her small laughter. “You already are! And you can’t because posing is just that, posing. It’s not natural. Besides. You’re already pretty cute doing what you’re doing right now. Why overwork?”

 

As Toni’s laptop pulled up the file, she went ahead and made a check on the amount she’d have to flip through, a small whistle slipping from her lips. “Yikes. That is a monstrous amount of photos. I’d say we’ve earned a break. How about some pizza?”

 

“Pizza~?” Cheryl whined, clutching her stomach. “I can’t possibly eat anything else right now.”

 

“I’m sorry, Babe.” Toni set the laptop down on the table and reached for Cheryl’s hand. “How about we watch a movie while these download, huh? I can snack on some popcorn and we can get you a Shirley Temple for your upset stomach.”

 

Cheryl didn’t reply verbally, just a mouthing of “Okay” before Toni gave her hand a squeeze and slipped off to the kitchen to make the popcorn.

 

When the other girl left, Cheryl sat down, glancing through some of the previously downloaded images from today. 112 of 532 photos to skim through. Some of the angles she didn’t quite understand, especially any shot taken from below her belly button upwards It wasn’t an interesting angle at all, not of her chin nor her boobs. She supposed it must have been what Toni felt like every time Cheryl sat in her lap, looking up past all rose flurry of a lion’s mane. She stopped on a particular photo of the two of them, not in the folder but hanging out on Toni’s desktop. It was one they’d taken three months after their first kiss, with Cheryl clinging to Toni’s arm for dear life whilst they wandered through a traveling carnival together. Her heart flooded with warmth. Everything she did with Toni was worth it.

 

Above the image was a file labeled “Maybe”.

 

“Huh. That’s new… Wasn’t there last week—”

 

Cheryl moved the mouse, closing out of the selfie and moving towards the file.

 

“Hey, come pick a movie, Cherry Cola!”

 

“Ah, fuck. I’m coming, T.T.!” Cheryl rushed to the living room, leaping over the couch in a rare show of agility as she pounced into her seat.

 

Nearly spilling the popcorn, Toni tumbled back in an attempt to stay out of the way. “You really are the bomb, aren’t you?”

 

“I try,” Cheryl said, taking the remote from Toni. All it took was one hour of film to put away the thought of the file folder on Toni’s desktop. Lost, but not forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, Comment if you liked this, if you like, and check in soon for the next part! Special shout-out to my people who keep challenging me to push out creative work as much as possible, y'all know who you are. And Thank you for reading!


	5. Compact Flash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the deadline approaches, tensions rise between Cheryl and Toni, and secrets are spilled. Or are they?

_com·pact flash (noun) - A digital storage device first used by SanDisk, for portable electronic devices to store large amounts of data in a small, confined space. The most known compact flash devices in current use are SD cards._

It started with a loud bang, the likes of which with enough force to send tremors to the Earth’s core, but instead jolted Toni awake from where she’d fallen asleep on the couch. Her laptop had hit the floor with the loudest morning war cry the world had ever known, and she dived after it. There was a frantic wrestling of fingers to open the case, check the screen for damage. Nothing. The height of the couch was not even enough to cause more than the slightest chip in the plastic above the fan vent. A sigh escaped her chest. What a wake up call.

It had been a week since Toni had started working with Cheryl, running over different thematic shots with a graze of caution. Cheryl had been much easier to work with when Toni could tell her what to do. She had a natural sense of how to compose herself for an image, but there was always something that wasn’t right about each shot afterwards. A posed shot was just that, posed. The subject had to pertain to the idea of growth, movement, change. While a brilliant model might need to be still, it was all Cheryl knew how to be.

The two had tried to combat it. Costume changes, setting changes, lighting changes, movement in perspectives, movement through field blurs, radial zooms. Cheryl commanded stillness as always, bringing every element around her into the solidity of stasis. She did not fear the change, merely slaughtered it while it slept. The absence of motion, of change, was a counter argument to the cause. Toni almost caved, almost pushed against the current. But she was far too tired for anything. Right now she needed a cup of coffee…

“You’re awake,” Cheryl’s voice bounced into the room as she brought forth a mug of the sweet bitterness, a mug of espresso froth and creamer. But instead of being offered to the tired photographer, Cheryl had pressed the mug to her lips. “Good. I was beginning to worry you’d never get up.”

“Did you save some for me?” Toni asked, looking almost hurt that Cheryl didn’t even offer her a sip.

“Of course. But you’re going to have to do the mixing yourself. We’re out of soy milk and I don’t know what your emergency portions are.”

“Figures,” Toni said in exhale, standing upright and stretching out her spine. “Well then I’ll be back. Did you start breakfast at all?”

“I was waiting on you,” Cheryl replied, taking another sip from her mug. “I didn’t want your eggs to get cold.”

“Thanks, Babe.” Toni leaned over and kissed Cheryl’s cheek as she plopped down on the couch. “I’ll get you some toast to start. Wait here.”

There was a pause between when Toni dismissed Cheryl and when she spoke, as if she required the distance to remember something so specific. “Oh, and T.T., your phone was ringing earlier. I didn’t see who it was but I think they left a voicemail.”

“Okay~” Toni cried over her shoulder, waving backwards sloppily on her way into the kitchen. Missed call? This early in the morning? Wait. Was it early? “What time is it?”

“Ten-thirty. Why?”

“Just checking. I know it’s a Sunday. I just don’t want to miss anything.”

“Like what?” Cheryl sneered. She didn’t like Sundays simply for their connotations. “Church camp?”

“Oh, haha. You’re so hilarious, Cher.” Toni’s sarcasm knew no bounds. She grabbed her phone from the counter and checked it while she poured her coffee, only after a moment of standing there like an idiot did she notice the hot coffee streaming down the counter and dripping onto her feet.

Ouch.

Two missed calls and dripping coffee. One Riverdale area code. The other... She knew this number.

The floors were wet with burning black and she knew this number.

The area code was unmistakably Victoria’s.

Her toes were screaming for mercy.

Fuck.

Toni threw the phone down and grabbed paper towels from under the sink, wiping up as much of the coffee as she could. She’d managed enough in her cup for what she wanted, but the rest she had to mop up. Nothing more ominous than fists full of paper towels sloshing and slapping around on a Sunday morning.

When she finished cleaning up and making her coffee, Toni pulled up her voicemail, turning the volume down. It might’ve been years since she’d even seen Victoria, but she couldn’t forget her obnoxious habit of listening to herself talk.

“You have two (2) new voice messages. First message.”

“Antoinette Topaz,” the voice was unmistakably Victoria’s own. “I see your voicemail hasn’t changed in the last century. This is a courtesy call for that redheaded bitch of yours. The one with all the Riverdale scandals pinned to her name? Yeah, that’s the one. Two rumors, with your name on both, has it that you’re entering and she’s buying out the competition. Which- y’know. That’s your business, Toni-Baloney, but hear me when I say this... She won’t buy me.”

Toni let the information sink in for a minute. Cheryl wasn’t buying out the competition. How could she? The two had been together all week but... could she?

“To erase this message press—“ Beep. “Message saved. Next message.”

“Hey Toni! It’s Kevin. Cheryl told me you were looking for my excellent artistic opinion, so naturally I thought I would call. I’ll be at Pop’s today at 2 if you wanna meet me there. If not just shoot me a text. Either way I’ll see you at some point.” Beep.

“Message erased. End of new messages.”  
Toni hung up her phone and moved to pull breakfast together. It was going to be a long day.

—

“Toni, you are in big trouble.” Cheryl stormed into the classroom hands on her hips as she met Toni’s gaze, irises aglow with fury.

“What now?” Toni had just sat down for her Chemistry class, ready to focus on the day when Cheryl pulled herself back into the world.

“Your English paper.”

“Jughead gave me some advice, so what?”

“Oh, so if Jughead offers you take him up on it but when I offer it’s a “no, I wanna figure this out myself,” is that it?” Cheryl slammed her hand down on the desk.

“Something tells me this isn’t about Lit,” Toni mumbled. “Cheryl, Babe, talk to me.”

“I am talking to you!” Cheryl said in hushed anger. “This is about you not talking to me.”

“When?”

“Kevin Keller told me you asked him for advice. Are you quitting on me?”

“No, I’m trying to find another angle. This competition means a lot to me!” Toni folded her arms across her chest. She was not going to have Cheryl win this one. Not after what she learned yesterday.

“Enough that you would block out your girlfriend’s help? I thought we were in this together!”

That’s when Toni scoffed. “Ha! Help? Are you talking about your modeling or your under the table “help” with my competition?”

“My what?” Cheryl’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“I know you paid them off to drop out, Cher. You’ve been ratted out! You don’t think I can do this on my own!” Toni stood up, trying to meet Cheryl’s towering rage with her own, despite her height getting in the way.

“I did not- I know you can do this!” Cheryl reached for Toni’s arm only to have her hand slapped away.

“Then why did you go behind my back?” Toni felt the burning tears streaming down her face. “After everything...”

“I didn’t—“

“You know what? I don’t want to hear another word, Cheryl.” Toni sat back down turning away from the taller girl.

“But—“ Cheryl took a step toward Toni, only to stop short at the burst of anger.

“Get out of my classroom!”

“Okay. Fine.” Cheryl turned and walked toward the door.

“Fine,” Toni mumbled back, trying not to shed another tear. Not here, she thought, not now. She had too much work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, thank you for the 75+ kudos! Secondly, OVER 1200 hits?! Holy crap! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. This is for y’all. <3 as always, leave a comment if you liked it, if you like, and stay tuned for more!


	6. RAW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before and after the development (a transition of what’s to come)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone on the support for this fic, it means so much to me! I’m gonna try to get two more chapters in today but we’ll see. I wanted this chapter to be short to give you a bit of cool down so I can post a longer chapter later. Also, can I say that you guys, my readers, are the absolute best? What gems! Anyways, please enjoy!

_RAW (adjective) - sore, red ripe with irritation. In Photography, RAW files are minimally processed and not ready for print_

The rain coming down over Riverdale was unbelievably thick. Almost comically so, like one could take a knife to it and cut a chunk of it out of the sky to sip from their palms. It did not shed light to Cheryl’s situation. She sat atop of the stairwell, head between her knees and forehead pressed against the window. It would not be more dramatic if she’d suckered one of the poor groundskeepers into spraying the pane with a garden hose.

“I’m gonna talk to her,” Betty said, squeezing Jughead’s hand. “She looks like a kicked puppy.”

“Leave her be, Betty. She wants to brood. I know that look.” He attempted to hold her back, only to have her tug at his arm.

“Come on, Jug. It’s Cheryl. She needs the attention.” A quick glance between the two of them and Betty released his hand. “If you won’t talk to her, go find Toni. I’m gonna sort this out.”

—

Out of all the people that Toni would have expected to be late, Kevin was not one of them. Especially at 2 PM on a Sunday. Luckily, Toni had her hot spot, and with a little private WiFi, could do a bit of snooping undetected.

“She has to be wrong,” Toni mumbled. “Victoria is trying to play me.”

Vic had been right on one thing. Anyone with google and an afternoon could probably find all kinds of dirt on Cheryl. Articles in both the Blue and Gold, and the Tribune had mentioned her family since the dawn of time. Maybe Cheryl had caught herself in a few scandals from time to time, but she was nothing to blink at aside from her charm and wit and those perfect red lips of hers.

As Toni scrolled through multiple forum threads, she found quite a few posts concerning bribery and foul play. Most were rabbit holes of past experiences but quite a few recent issues. Some directed at others in the competition, people she knew to be dirty, but there wasn’t one encounter with a girl with long, red hair.

There were several.

Redhead girl paid me for information on another competitor. Redhead girl bribed me to withdraw. Redhead girl threatening multiple competitors. All within the past week. All from different sources. She clicked on the first thread and scrolled through the attached files. There was no mistaking the suspect in the photo.

Toni closed the tab on her laptop and stared at her “maybe” folder. All that time and for what? Cheryl to go behind her back? There had to be more to it than that. Right?

“Hey! Sorry I’m late, Toni. My dad gave me one of his famous “safety” lectures.” Kevin slid into the booth across from the Serpent. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m fine, Kev.” Toni tried to smile, faltering in her attempt. “Just tired of the weekend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, sorry about the brevity of this section, I just needed to get some establishing out of the way for the next chapter! Also the reason I am so rushed is because I want to get out as much as I can between now and tomorrow because from the 20th through the 30th I will be away on a massive road trip! Apologies in advance. As always, comment if you liked it, if you like, and stay tuned for the next part!


	7. Diffuser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth about Cheryl’s bribery...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this is so late! I missed you guys~ and this fic! I’m dedicating this chapter to my friend Katie who gave me the motivation to get it out.

_dif·fus·er (noun) - a device used in photography that spreads light evenly to soften shadows_

Sobs bounced through the empty stairwell, soaking each step with the stuttering sound of staggering lungs.

“It’s the end of the world, Betty,” Cheryl spoke between gasps of breath, each hiccuping half-gasp felt like a razor to her trachea, burning swallows of air in sharp bursts. “Toni’s never going to forgive me.”

“It’s okay, Cheryl,” Betty said, rubbing the crying girl’s back gently. They’d been sitting for some time now, Betty with her hand on Cheryl’s back and Cheryl with her forehead pressed to the window pane, letting the tears reflect the streaks on the outside of the glass. Betty hoped she could do more. There had to be more to it. “We’re going to get through this but you’re going to have to tell me the truth… Did you bribe the photographers?”

The pause between the two of them was a lot longer than Cheryl had intended. She wanted to answer but her brain felt foggy. Her ribs had turned to snakes, her chest constricting her heart and forcing the blood upwards. Everything was red with noise. She couldn’t pull herself together like this. “Betty, I… I…”

Betty pulled Cheryl closer to her. This was no time to get an answer out of her. Not when everything was so weighted.

“Shhh… It’s okay, Cheryl. We’re going to fix it…”

—

“How long?” Jughead asked, tossing himself onto Betty’s bed. “How long do you think they’re gonna keep this up?”

Betty felt her lungs press out the heaviest of sighs as she plopped down beside him, her hair fanning out behind her head like a misshapen mane. “I dunno, Jug. Cheryl’s really upset. I couldn’t even get her to talk about it.”

“Well, that’s typical of her.” Jughead rolled onto his side, facing Betty with that reassuring half-smile of his. “Hey. Don’t beat yourself up over this. You are only one person.”

“You’re right, Jug.” Betty sat up a little, eyes like a rekindled fireplace. “I am just one person. You’re a genius.”

There was a quick kiss between them before she rolled off the bed to grab her jacket.

“Wait, where are you going?” Jughead asked, sitting up as he watched Betty pace about the room, grabbing various objects and throwing them into her bag, a notebook, a flashlight, her laptop, a pack of gum, a handful of bobby pins, and a tube of lipstick. “What do you need all that for?”

“I’m gonna call Ronnie and see what she’s up to,” Betty said, tossing her hair between her hands in an attempt to retie her ponytail. “I’ll call you back when we have more info. You should find Toni.”

“What? Why? Betty—”

“Just trust me!”

Slam. Betty was gone.

Jughead glanced about the empty room, dazed and startled. “Ah shit. Where’s my phone?”

—

Bird watching requires a specific level of skill and cunning. One must be swift and silent, graceful and watchful, not unlike the average household cat, but with far more cunning and tact. Avian photography was not unlike birdwatching. It just required more daring and higher patience. Often a subject would require several weeks of stalking in order to land the perfect photograph. Toni needed no such task. She had her prey. A genuine North American White-Breasted Nuthatch, male, returning to the nest. Toni reached her hand to the lens, adjusting her focus as she zoomed the bird into frame. Just in time to catch something extraordinary when…

 _SNAP_. A branch beneath someone’s foot behind her. The bird cannot scatter away fast enough. Toni let out a sigh.

“Jughead, what have I said about sneaking up on me when I’m in the middle of a shot?”

Jughead shrugged. Toni only rolled her eyes.

“What do you want?”

There was a pause as Jughead sneered, shaking his hand as he pretended to hold something.

“Hear that?”

“Hear what?” Toni crossed her arms. “There’s nothing there.”

“Up-up-up— it’s a bottle of twelve “don’t shit yourself but I’ve got some news” pills.”

Toni glared Jughead down. She was not buying it.

—

“What if he doesn’t show up?” Betty asked, drumming her nails on the diner table. “I mean— We don’t even know what this “Max” guy looks like. How do we even know it was a genuine photo of Cheryl?”

“It’s a raw file,” Veronica said, setting her hand on Betty’s own, mostly to cease the tapping. “That’s how the contestants prove that their work is genuine and not fraudulent, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Bee, it’s going to be okay.” Veronica gave Betty’s hand a tight squeeze.

“Excuse me,” a young girl with a wide doe-like blue stare and soft brown hair down to her chin approached the pair sitting at the table. “Are you two the Blue and Gold reporters?”

“Yes, I’m Betty, and this is Veronica.” There was an instant jolt of energy as Betty sat up to greet the younger girl with a soft smile. “And you are?”

“Max…” The girl said, scrunching her face nervously as she glanced about the diner, unaware of Betty’s blatant surprise. Of course Max was a girl. “You were asking about the Blossom girl, right?”

“Yeah,” Betty said, pulling out her phone and sliding it across the table, accompanying photo ready. “This her?”

Max didn’t take but a moment to glance at the photo before sitting down across from the other two girls. “Yeah. That’s her. She was very dominant, insistent on getting information.”

“Information?” Veronica raised a brow. “What kind?”

“Personal information. About a classmate of mine.” Max glanced at her hands, trying to avoid eye contact as she spoke. “She was waving around a lot of money for whatever she could get.”

“Did you take the money?” Betty asked, crossing her arms.

“What?” Max blinked, glancing up to meet the sincerity of the two girls before her. “I would never— it doesn’t belong to me, even if she’s offering to give it to me. The whole thing felt… wrong…”

Veronica nodded as she reached for her milkshake. “Did you give her the information she was asking for?”

Max shook her head, looking back down at her hands again. “I might not like Victoria but I wouldn’t spill any dirt on her. She’s not the type to forgive and forget. It’s why I dropped out of the competition.”

“Wait,” Betty set a hand down on the table. “You said Victoria is the reason you dropped out of the competition?”

“Well- not the only reason,” Max confessed, glancing back up to meet Betty’s gaze. “I just don’t think my photos are ready for the world just yet. Not to mention the fact that I’m mostly a polaroid photographer. My images wouldn’t stand a chance against the rest of the entries.”

“That doesn’t mean you should hold off on the competition—” Betty had started to say before Veronica interrupted her.

“Betty, focus. Trying to save Cheryl from herself here.”

“Right, right,” Betty sighed, sitting up. “Is that all that happened Max?”

“No, it’s not,” Max said, glancing between the two girls. “Vic found out. She was on the warpath. Said Cheryl was going to wish she hadn’t stepped foot in our town. Between you and me…” Max pulled out another photo, a polaroid of another girl with long red hair, similar clothing style to Cheryl but sharper facial features, far more pissy than anything. “I think she’s your problem.”

—

 _Thwack. Thwack. Thwack_.

Cheryl had been smacking a tennis ball into the brick wall right outside Riverdale High. Jason always saw the value of athletic activities as a way to clear the mind. Cheryl didn’t quite see the point.

“Oh Jason, what would you think of me now?”

Cheryl hadn’t even thought of her brother since her and Toni had been together.

 _Thwack_. Was that selfish? What would he even say about Toni? Cheryl supposed it didn’t much matter... they weren’t together anymore.

 _Thwack. Thwack. Thwack_.

Cheryl smacked the ball a little too hard. It bounced immediately back at her. She couldn’t counter lob fast enough, barely ducking out of the way before the ball sailed past her. A second later the ball bounced against the parking lot asphalt, before landing into Toni’s hand.

“Hey...”

Cheryl dropped the racket. “T-Toni...”

Toni tried to smile, though the guilt weighed on her gaze. “We should talk...”

“Right,” Cheryl said, dipping down to pick up her racket. “Let’s talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you liked it if you want and see ya next chapter <3


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